‘Bad Boys for Life’ to Release Early on Digital

With the nation’s movie theaters dark due to the coronavirus outbreak, Sony Pictures has given its hit action comedy “Bad Boys for Life” an early video on demand release on March 31.

The movie — starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence — will debut April 21 on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD.

Prior to the crisis, most theatrical releases were not available at home until roughly 90 days after they premiered in multiplexes. But given the unprecedented circumstances, Disney, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, STX Films and Warner Bros. have all announced plans to release films early on VOD, including “Onward,” “Birds of Prey,” “The Hunt” and “The Invisible Man.”

“Bad Boys for Life” is the highest-grossing movie of the year so far, earning $204 million in North America.

The movie is a sequel to 1995’s “Bad Boys” and 2003’s “Bad Boys II.” The film, which carries a $90 million production budget, reunites Smith and Lawrence as old-school cops taking down the leader of a Miami drug cartel.